Northern BC isn’t getting enough of the sunshine vitamin!
According to a recent study with UNBC and the Northern Medical Program, a lack of Vitamin D can lead to improper brain function.
Research specialist Dr. Jacqueline Pettersen led the tests, which observed local residents and split them into two groups.
“What I found was that the high-dose group experienced a significant improvement on tasks of visual memory, which are very cognitively-demanding tasks. The low group, on the other hand, did not.”
“This is one of the first supplementation trials, or randomized controlled trials, that demonstrates a benefit of Vitamin D supplementation on cognition.”
Dr. Pettersen says what makes this study unique is our region’s global latitude location.
She adds more sun-exposure, like taking a 10-15 minute walk every day in the summer, can better your Vitamin intake due to the stronger UVB rays.
“In the winter time, as we know, we can’t synthesize enough Vitamin D from the sun. The UVB rays aren’t strong enough, plus it’s too cold; nobody wants to expose their skin in the winter. However, you should be taking supplementation.”
A lack of Vitamin D is said to affect more than one billion people around the world.
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